What is Historiography

Examining evidence to judge historical conclusions


Reading: Historiography of the Causes of World War One


The reading above from John Clare's revision site introduces you to differing positions on the major causes of World War I. As you read, consider the sources examined in an effort to determine which position is best.

• Is any single position more convincing to you? If so, why?

This page demonstrates well how we can examine history using an analytical approach to look at a selection of sources and considering the perspective of both sources and commentators.

How do historians approach the study and "creation" of history?

If history is not simply a lexicon to be learned, than perhaps it is a little like science in that it is a discipline that can be actively engaged in. As scientific understanding can be revised so too can historical understanding if we are given new information or new tools to carry on our examination. Like the Astrophysicist who would get excited about "doing" science, we too can "do" history. Unlike Scientific Understanding though, Historical Understanding is perhaps more of a construct. We build our history and then we can examine it to assess its strengths.



Here is a short reading on how some historians approach doing history.

Reading: Historiography

source: http://www.pvhs.chico.k12.ca.us/~bsilva/ib/histo.html



How historians DO history



When doing history, it helps to keep in mind that there are many different ways of determining how history

happens. One of the key things to remember is that historians disagree very much over why almost any

event happened. In the search for how things happen, we get ideas about how to understand our present

world's events and what to do about them, if anything.



The following list of selected historians can give you some ideas of how the great historians "did" history.

For this class you must keep in mind that we are "doing" history. The idea that history "just happened" is for

some other class. Also, keep in mind that this list is in no way complete or exclusive of other historians.



•Plutarch--Great Men and their Character. His thesis is that the very character of men changes history. His

study of Mark Antony suggests that his love for Cleopatra blinded him to his duties in Rome and was

destroyed by Augustus; who, it turned out, was not a lightweight.



•Historical Forces. This is the assertion that certain ideas, movements, etc., become irresistible forces that

will have their way. An example is Christianity being such a force that would eventually not only survive

persecution, but emerge victorious over the Roman Empire. Another is the dominance of Science in the

West over Theology and Philosophy as the authority for determining Truth.



•Toynbee--Challenge and response. Toynbee's theory is that all civilizations are faced with a crisis which is

either one of ideas, or one of technology. How they respond determines whether they will survive. An

example is the Fall of Rome. Many blame Christianity for sapping the Pagan strength of Rome and causing

her downfall. Toynbee points out that the Byzantine Empire (the Eastern Roman Empire) used Christianity to

revitalize and reform the Roman Empire for another thousand years.



•Hegel--Dialectic. Hegel's Theory of History says that for every old idea, there is a new one which conflicts

with it. Out of the struggle a new idea is created (Thesis, Antithesis, Synthesis). He felt that this was how

God led us to perfection and revealed new truth. History is just the product of conflict

•Darwin. Not a historian, but he took Hegel's idea and applied them to science. His biological application led

to the Origin of Species. Herbert Spencer and others then used his biological ideas to support their ideas

that a struggle among races of people and differing nations led to the strongest and most able nations ruling

the world. Victory in combat meant the superiority of a nation or people.



•Marx--Material Dialectic. Marx used Hegel's ideas and applied them to classes of people throughout history.

Any ruling class controlled the "means of production" which gave them wealth and power to rule. Whenever

a new method of production occurred, there was conflict between the older ruling class and a newer class

using the newer and superior means of production. An example is how the Businessman and his money

destroyed the power of the old Aristocracy based on land and hereditary ownership



•Turner--Geography and the Frontier. Turner's thesis said that geography determines the character of a

people and, depending on the situation, gave them certain advantages and disadvantages. An example is

that the English and Japanese, being Island Nations, would naturally have an advantage at sea combat.

And, in an age of sea-trade they would, tend to be powerful. His thesis explicitly stated how the Frontier

shaped the American mind to be open to new things and to strive for what was new. In our modern

technological age, Americans are very open to new technologies.



•Radicals--History is the story of who won. This thesis says that history is little more than mythmaking.

"History is the history of winners." Those who win, write the history books. Those who have lost are excluded

or demonized. History is determined by who has the political power to write the books. But, for some, reading

a restaurant menu is as important as reading "history."



•Boorstin--The unexpected. Daniel J. Boorstin's books suggest a thesis that ideas and practices simply

come together in various places and time and can hardly be predicted. What has mattered, is that the great

Creators and Discoverers have been open to the challenge and took previously unrelated ideas and put

them together in a way that was entirely new. They thus change the world. An example is how an

anonymous optician in Belgium created the first telescope to be used in combat. It found its way to Italy

where Galileo began to look at stars with it. His findings undermined the Ptolemaic system. However, the

Church used his information to create the modern Gregorian Calendar we use today. But sixteen years later

in the firestorm of the Reformation, Galileo was ordered to remain silent. Boorstin is hostile to the Hegelian-

Marxist-Darwinian school as it can only tell what the future is like based on the past. The Hegelians could

never have predicted the impact of the telescope. Boorstin makes considerable money showing that no one

can predict; you can only remain open to change. Change cannot be managed.

source: http://www.pvhs.chico.k12.ca.us/~bsilva/ib/histo.html

• Which approach to Historiography above seems best to you? Which approach seems least useful? Why?

Activity: In your assigned pairs, find examples of history from two different historical perspectives. This example can be text from a book, website, etc or a whole webpage, website, film, etc.

Extension Resources (these are optional, to be used at the student's discretion)

Review this link that details an economic perspective on World War II from Yale professor Adam Tooze